Masatepe
Municipality in Masaya, Nicaragua
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Masatepe (Nawat: Masatepek), (Spanish pronunciation: [masaˈtepe]) is one of the nine municipalities of the Masaya Department in Nicaragua. It is located on the plateau of the villages 50 kilometers from Managua along the road to Masaya. It belongs to the tourist corridor of " Los Pueblos Blancos" on top of the coffee-producing Volcanic Plateau. The origin of the word "Masatepe" comes from the Nawat language and is named after the Nahua chiefdom of Masatepek, which was located in the present-day department of Masaya.[3][4][5] Masatepek is a combination of the Nawat words Masat (deer),[6] and -tepek (hill).[7] The literal translation of Masatepek is "deer hill". The Indigenous inhabitants of Masaya are the Nahuas and the Chorotegas, and the Nahuas who still inhabit the municipality dominate the cocoa production in Masatepe.[8][9]
Masatepe
Masatepek[1] | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Masatepe | |
 Flag | |
  Masatepe Location in Nicaragua | |
| Coordinates: 11°55′N 86°09′W | |
| Country |  Nicaragua |
| Department | Masaya |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 22.9 sq mi (59.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,558 ft (475 m) |
| Population (2022 estimate)[2] | |
• Municipality | 41,809 |
| • Density | 1,820/sq mi (704/km2) |
| • Urban | 22,978 |
| Area code | 42600 |
| Climate | Aw |
History and Etymology
The name Masatepe originates from the Nawat language, and is a combination of the Nawat words Masat (deer), and -tepek (hill).[10][11] Therefore the literal translation of Masatepek is "deer hill", and was named by the Nahuas in reference to the white-tailed deer that inhabit the region.[12][13][14][15] In addition, Masatepek was a Nahua chiefdom located in what is now the Masaya department. The Nahuas of Masatepek inhabited Nindiri, Niquinohomo, Monimbó, and Masatepe, and coexisted with the Chorotegas who also inhabited Masaya, as well as Chibchan minorities who were assimilated into Nahua culture and society.[16][17][18][19][20]
Weather and Location
Masatepe is located on top of the Plateau of towns, at an altitude of 475m, the total area can be divided into two main different types of biomes:
1- Rain forest (Usually has native trees and Coffee Plantations. Elv: (400 - 500m)
2- Dry Valley. ( can be found near the coast of the Lagoon, and the Masaya Volcano ). Elv: (90 - 250m)
The temperature fluctuates during the year, being mostly warm. During the winter months (November - January) the temperatures become cooler, and there are usually foggy mornings.
| Climate data for Masatepe (1971–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.4 (81.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
28.4 (83.1) |
27.7 (81.9) |
28.2 (82.8) |
28.7 (83.7) |
27.8 (82.0) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.0 (80.6) |
28.6 (83.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) |
23.7 (74.7) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.8 (78.4) |
25.9 (78.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.2 (73.8) |
24.3 (75.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.8 (65.8) |
18.9 (66.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
20.4 (68.7) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.0 (69.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.9 (69.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.4 (68.7) |
20.4 (68.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
20.0 (68.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 12 (0.5) |
10 (0.4) |
5 (0.2) |
17 (0.7) |
203 (8.0) |
185 (7.3) |
141 (5.6) |
172 (6.8) |
273 (10.7) |
239 (9.4) |
84 (3.3) |
29 (1.1) |
1,370 (53.9) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 124 |
| Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[21] | |||||||||||||
Sports
The town is home of football club Deportivo Masatepe.
External links
- Alcaldía Municipal de Masatepe Official Web Site of Masatepe (Spanish)
- Masatepe.org In the internet since 2001. General Information about the city, photos, videos and much more about this city, including a virtual tour (Spanish)
- MasatepeCity.com Information and videos of Masatepe (Spanish)
- Web site of the Partnerschaftsverein Kreis Gross-Gerau - Masatepe (German, Spanish)
